MALIBU, Calif. - Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds threatened thousands of Southern California homes Monday as firefighters struggled to combat the blazes that rapidly engulfed the region, killing one person and forcing thousands to evacuate.
In many cases, crews couldn't begin to fight the fires because they were too busy rescuing residents who refused to leave, fire officials said.
"They didn't evacuate at all, or delayed until it was too late," said Bill Metcalf, chief of the North County Fire Protection District. "And those folks who are making those decisions are actually stripping fire resources."
About a dozen blazes erupted over the weekend, fuelled by strong Santa Ana winds and drought-parched land from the high desert to the Pacific Ocean. Things got worse Monday, when several new fires sprouted, adding to the 16,000 hectares or 160 square kilometres that had already burned. The worst damage was in Malibu, where a church and several homes, including a landmark castle-like dwelling were charred.
Firefighters acknowledged they were overwhelmed.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency late Sunday in seven counties. One person died in a fire which burned more than 5,600 hectares about 110 kilometres southeast of San Diego, just north of the Mexican border town of Tecate, said Matt Streck of the California Department of Forestry.
Four firefighters and at least 10 other people were hospitalized, Streck said. Some of the injured were hikers, and others may be illegal immigrants.
Another blaze devoured more than 2,000 hectares in northern San Diego County and forced the evacuation of the community of Ramona, which has a population of about 36,000.
Several structures were burned on the edge of town and sheriff's deputies called residents to alert them the fire was approaching the city, said San Diego sheriff's Lt. Phil Brust.
"The winds are up, it's very, very dangerous conditions," San Diego County spokeswoman Lesley Kirk said. "Fires are popping up all over the place."
In Malibu, about 700 firefighters worked to protect hundreds of homes in several upscale communities nestled in the hills. About 1,500 people were evacuated and the blaze destroyed a church and several homes, one of them the landmark Castle Kashan, a stately fortress-like home with turrets and arched windows. Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning building overlooking the coast.
No residents or firefighters were injured, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said.
The castle belonged to Lilly Lawrence, the daughter of a former Iranian oil minister. She said she was able to gather a few things before the fire engulfed her home, including some jewelry and memorabilia that included Elvis Presley's army fatigues.
She didn't seem too worried about losing most of her belongings in the fire.
"My parents taught me not to allow my possessions to posses me," Lawrence told KABC-TV. "So, that's the story. The house is a house."
Winds carried embers across the Pacific Coast Highway, closing the popular road and setting fire to cars and trees in the parking lot of a shopping centre where a supermarket, drug store and other shops were damaged.
"This fire is zero per cent contained, which means we're at the mercy of the wind," acting Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said.
In all, five homes and two commercial buildings had been confirmed lost throughout the Malibu area, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said. Nine more homes were damaged, he said. Early Monday, several houses in the suburbs around Santa Clarita were destroyed, Padilla said. That blaze had burned about 10,000 hectares.
The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days, he said. Until the blaze is extinguished, "there will literally be thousands of homes that will be threatened at one time or another," he said.
The fire may have been started by downed power lines, Capt. Mike Brown said.
"This is a conflagration we knew was going to come at some point," Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said at a Malibu press conference Sunday, noting Southern California's ongoing dry spell.
"We were cruising for a bruising," he said. "We are very, very lucky as we stand here tonight that the damage has been as limited as it has been." ( By Noaki Schwartz, The Associated Press)
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